Marines undertake explosives training

A Marine from 8th Engineer Support Battalion gets in defensive posture as he crimps a fuse line to a blasting cap during demolition training at ETA-5 Camp Lejeune Wednesday.

John Althouse / The Daily News

By THOMAS BRENNAN Daily News Staff

Published: Thursday, November 21, 2013 at 07:00 AM.

Breathing is key.

During a training exercise at a demolitions range aboard Camp Lejeune on Wednesday morning, Marines of 8th Engineer Support Battalion demonstrated how to breach obstacles such as doors and walls. The group also learned about field-expedient charges, such as handmade shape charges, claymores and Bangalore charges designed to eliminate armored targets, concertina wire obstacles and personnel.

The training consisted of building the charges, determining a safe stand-off distance through complex mathematical equations and detonating the explosives, all of which had a one-minute fuse.

Given the close proximity Marines sometimes have to the explosives, they all must remember to leave their mouth open and breathe out when the explosive detonates or they run the risk of having the wind knocked out of them, according to Marine Cpl. Brian Fagan, an assistant squad leader with 8th ESB.

When something explodes, it sends out ripples of energy, Fagan explained. Marines can feel the compressed air around them called “overpressure.” By exhaling during the explosion, Marines offset the overpressure while also preventing air from entering their lungs.

For Marine Cpl. Cory Penney, a logistics clerk with 8th ESB, the demolitions range was a first.

During a training exercise at a demolitions range aboard Camp Lejeune on Wednesday morning, Marines of 8th Engineer Support Battalion demonstrated how to breach obstacles such as doors and walls. The group also learned about field-expedient charges, such as handmade shape charges, claymores and Bangalore charges designed to eliminate armored targets, concertina wire obstacles and personnel.

The training consisted of building the charges, determining a safe stand-off distance through complex mathematical equations and detonating the explosives, all of which had a one-minute fuse.

Given the close proximity Marines sometimes have to the explosives, they all must remember to leave their mouth open and breathe out when the explosive detonates or they run the risk of having the wind knocked out of them, according to Marine Cpl. Brian Fagan, an assistant squad leader with 8th ESB.

When something explodes, it sends out ripples of energy, Fagan explained. Marines can feel the compressed air around them called “overpressure.” By exhaling during the explosion, Marines offset the overpressure while also preventing air from entering their lungs.

For Marine Cpl. Cory Penney, a logistics clerk with 8th ESB, the demolitions range was a first.

Penney was nervous while handling the explosives and even flinched at times while cutting and tying knots in the materials — a normal reaction, he said, for Marines due to the destructive nature of the material.

“Today was the first time I got to see explosives in action,” Penney said. “Anybody inside of anything you use an explosive on isn’t going to feel good after it goes off. The surprise factor this brings and the effects of the explosive are remarkable.”

Prior to Penney “popping smoke” on the explosives he was able to watch other Marines detonate their explosives, which, along with guidance on the range, he said made him feel at ease.

Marines who will handle explosives as part of their specialty are taught in their entry level school on how to properly handle, measure and calculate how much distance should be kept between them and a detonating explosive to ensure their safety, which is also known as stand off.

Building explosives is a very precise sequence of events, Fagan said, adding that if you use too much or if your math is off you can cause bodily injury to friendly forces or cause excess structural damage making it unsafe to enter at the breach point.

The math is calculated by determining how many grains of explosive will be used in the charge. The number of grains then dictates how much stand off a Marine must have between him and the blast. Each standard charge will have a consistent grain count and has a set stand off making it easy for Marines to remember how far away to stand for each type of charge.

“Since today’s battlefield is mostly urban in Iraq and Afghanistan, a lot of times insurgents will hide out in a building making it hard to get to them behind locked doors and such,” Fagan said. “You have to have a way to get through that door or wall, and explosives offer that opportunity.”

In Afghanistan, Fagan said that field-expedient charges such as shape charges are not commonly used due to the style of fighting the Taliban uses against coalition forces. Part of being a Marine, he said, is being prepared for any situation that may arise, which is the main reason they practice unconventional demolitions —so that they are proficient and don’t accidentally kill themselves or the Marines around them.

“You can pretty much breach anything with explosives — it’s one of the most versatile weapons we have,” said Marine Cpl. Brett Lowery, a combat engineer with 8th ESB. “In traditional warfare we can breach anything from concertina wire to roofs. The only limit is your own imagination.

“Explosives can’t be stopped.”

The biggest added benefit to using explosives, according to Lowery, is the “shock and awe” effect it has on the enemy. Kicking in a door isn’t nearly as violent or fun, he said, and explosives have more possibility of scaring, wounding or killing the enemy than a traditional entry.

“By the time (the enemy) recovers from the explosion you’re already in the building capitalizing on the situation,” he said. “Explosives are nothing to play around with ... and when used in the right hands by a proficient Marine, they will result in mission accomplishment with lowered risk.”